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halfamoonLike a few of you, I had intended to get something original written in time for this, but that's not how things turned out. So, in lieu of that, I offer a selection of my favorite female characterizations in my fics.
* Arthur and the Widow Merlin | Arthur/OFC, Merlin/Arthur preslash | ~3200 words | R
Although this one is preslash, and Merlin POV, I ended up very fond of the widow in this. Fun fact: I always pictured her played by Donna Noble, and at one point dabbled with a backstory that involved Donna becoming trapped in the Merlin universe, aware of who she was, married to a boorish husband and possessing two bratty, half-grown children. In truth, she was grateful for the freedom his death brought her, and - in addition to the fact that he's hot, and Prince frigging Arthur, her reasons for sleeping with him went beyond that gratitude and had more to do with the well-hidden guilt she saw in his eyes. It reminded her, just a bit, of the Doctor.
* Comeback Heroes | Claire-centric with hints of Peter/Claire | ~2000 words | PG
Claire in the wake of Peter's "death" at the end of S1, and how she copes. Another one that I dabbled with sequels to, but never finished - Peter returning to her over the years as she grows older (though only minutes or days are passing for him). I drifted from Heroes last "season", but look forward to seeing her again. As many issues as some of the representations of women have (or are said to have) in this show, there are still quite a few female characters I'd love to see more of, and Claire is at the top of that list.
* Skinny Tommy The Black Donnellys | Jenny/Tommy (pre-het) | ~1900 words | PG-13
Never finished this show, partly because I adored it so much and don't want to admit it's over. For such a guy centric show, I found Jenny's character one of the most compelling, even though they didn't (in the eps I saw) do nearly as much with her as they could have. I'd prefer not to know the ending of the series (though this will some day change) because I like to imagine that she convinces Tommy to get the hell out of dodge and run away with her.
* Irreparable Iron Man | Tony/Pepper | ~32,000 | NC-17 like whoa
Tony-POV, but I consider this Pepper's story. Easily my darkest and most fucked up story to date (ties with Recognize, I think, for quality of fuckedupness, but the length gives this one the edge. It is a story of her victimization and her recovery, and of Tony's clueless, desperate, enabling, co-dependent attempts to help, but in the end, it's also the story of her recovering on her own not-entirely-healthy terms. It's yet another one of what![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
geekturnedvamp likes to call my "not enough therapy in the world for those two" stories, and it took me places I totally didn't expect it to go, but it remains one of my favorites. Definitely one where you'll want to heed the warnings, though.
* Home Soon Veronica Mars | Veronica/Logan | ~1500 words | R
Probably my favorite female voice of everything I've written - and second person to boot (though I think it worked/felt more natural because of the show's voiceover). The grief in it still gets me when I reread it, and I wrote it (for the most part) in one go after a particularly trying evening. The emotions I was venting into it weren't grief, but it was one of the first times I successfully, deliberately, and knowingly judoed (is that how you spell it) a surfeit of my own painful emotions into fic form. The technique works to this day, and I'm proud of the result.
* No Wife Law and Order SVU | Elliot/Olivia | ~25,000 words | NC-17
Elliot POV, and in many ways about him, but I ended up really satisfied with my characterization of Olivia in this. It's a portrait of his coming to terms with being in love with her, but it was also an exercise in trying to show her feelings and the arc of her emotions through the eyes of someone who wasn't getting it (much of the time).
* Intra BSG | Kara/Lee | ~10,000 words | NC-17
Kara, Kara, Kara. How do I love thee, let me count the ways. One of the earliest of my "serious about fic" phase stories, and the one I probably spent the most time on. Kara remains one of my favorite female characters of all time, above Buffy, above Sydney Bristow. Gloriously fucked up from the very first time we meet her, I've loved her through all her ups and downs, and no matter where the show ends up taking her, Kara will always be closest to my heart.
* Coping Mechanisms Prison Break | Sarah-centric, Sarah/Michael pre-het | ~1000 words | PG-13
Jossed by revelations about her later in season one, this is set post the S1 Riot, and is another study of coping with trauma/grief, not unlike Home Soon. I know plenty of people have issues with the things done to/with her character in later seasons, but I think she's one of the most interesting female characters out there, even though (and gosh, isn't this a song we sing often) I don't feel like she's fully lived up to her potential on the show. Still, I think she's amazing, and I hope to see more good things from her before the show ends.
* Canary The Office (US) | Jim/Pam | ~3500 words | R-ish
Oh Pam. Pam, Pam, Pam. I haven't watched you this season so far, on the Office, but I love you so. The actress said she got the instruction (regarding the audition) "Dare to bore me" and while I can see that in her performance, she brings so much more to it. In this story, she's still stuck in the rut of passivity, still stuck with her fiance, unable to dare to *want* or go for what she wants. I'm so glad she's grown as the seasons have gone on, and it's been a pleasure to watch her bloom. But as a portrait of where she was then, I'm still fond of this one.
* I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor Doctor Who | Eleven/Rose | ~5000 | NC-17
Eleven (my alternative version that split from canon at the end of S2) POV, but also a portrait of 16 year old Rose. She ended up feeling, to me, like a realistic extrapolation of pre-series Rose. I hate that there's so much bullshit surround liking or not liking Rose - and that no matter where you stand, there's a group of people ready to demonize your preference and throw their own shit at it. Which is sad. She felt very real to me, and even when she was unlikeable, I found her lovable. I've enjoyed the next two companions (Donna more than Martha) but for all that people bitch and moan about Rose's lack of agency (and I can see their point, to a point, in light of her arc as a whole) she wanted fiercely and went after what she wanted time and time again, and for that, she remains my favorite companion (though I remain open, as always, to the next one).
* Arthur and the Widow Merlin | Arthur/OFC, Merlin/Arthur preslash | ~3200 words | R
Although this one is preslash, and Merlin POV, I ended up very fond of the widow in this. Fun fact: I always pictured her played by Donna Noble, and at one point dabbled with a backstory that involved Donna becoming trapped in the Merlin universe, aware of who she was, married to a boorish husband and possessing two bratty, half-grown children. In truth, she was grateful for the freedom his death brought her, and - in addition to the fact that he's hot, and Prince frigging Arthur, her reasons for sleeping with him went beyond that gratitude and had more to do with the well-hidden guilt she saw in his eyes. It reminded her, just a bit, of the Doctor.
* Comeback Heroes | Claire-centric with hints of Peter/Claire | ~2000 words | PG
Claire in the wake of Peter's "death" at the end of S1, and how she copes. Another one that I dabbled with sequels to, but never finished - Peter returning to her over the years as she grows older (though only minutes or days are passing for him). I drifted from Heroes last "season", but look forward to seeing her again. As many issues as some of the representations of women have (or are said to have) in this show, there are still quite a few female characters I'd love to see more of, and Claire is at the top of that list.
* Skinny Tommy The Black Donnellys | Jenny/Tommy (pre-het) | ~1900 words | PG-13
Never finished this show, partly because I adored it so much and don't want to admit it's over. For such a guy centric show, I found Jenny's character one of the most compelling, even though they didn't (in the eps I saw) do nearly as much with her as they could have. I'd prefer not to know the ending of the series (though this will some day change) because I like to imagine that she convinces Tommy to get the hell out of dodge and run away with her.
* Irreparable Iron Man | Tony/Pepper | ~32,000 | NC-17 like whoa
Tony-POV, but I consider this Pepper's story. Easily my darkest and most fucked up story to date (ties with Recognize, I think, for quality of fuckedupness, but the length gives this one the edge. It is a story of her victimization and her recovery, and of Tony's clueless, desperate, enabling, co-dependent attempts to help, but in the end, it's also the story of her recovering on her own not-entirely-healthy terms. It's yet another one of what
geekturnedvamp likes to call my "not enough therapy in the world for those two" stories, and it took me places I totally didn't expect it to go, but it remains one of my favorites. Definitely one where you'll want to heed the warnings, though. * Home Soon Veronica Mars | Veronica/Logan | ~1500 words | R
Probably my favorite female voice of everything I've written - and second person to boot (though I think it worked/felt more natural because of the show's voiceover). The grief in it still gets me when I reread it, and I wrote it (for the most part) in one go after a particularly trying evening. The emotions I was venting into it weren't grief, but it was one of the first times I successfully, deliberately, and knowingly judoed (is that how you spell it) a surfeit of my own painful emotions into fic form. The technique works to this day, and I'm proud of the result.
* No Wife Law and Order SVU | Elliot/Olivia | ~25,000 words | NC-17
Elliot POV, and in many ways about him, but I ended up really satisfied with my characterization of Olivia in this. It's a portrait of his coming to terms with being in love with her, but it was also an exercise in trying to show her feelings and the arc of her emotions through the eyes of someone who wasn't getting it (much of the time).
* Intra BSG | Kara/Lee | ~10,000 words | NC-17
Kara, Kara, Kara. How do I love thee, let me count the ways. One of the earliest of my "serious about fic" phase stories, and the one I probably spent the most time on. Kara remains one of my favorite female characters of all time, above Buffy, above Sydney Bristow. Gloriously fucked up from the very first time we meet her, I've loved her through all her ups and downs, and no matter where the show ends up taking her, Kara will always be closest to my heart.
* Coping Mechanisms Prison Break | Sarah-centric, Sarah/Michael pre-het | ~1000 words | PG-13
Jossed by revelations about her later in season one, this is set post the S1 Riot, and is another study of coping with trauma/grief, not unlike Home Soon. I know plenty of people have issues with the things done to/with her character in later seasons, but I think she's one of the most interesting female characters out there, even though (and gosh, isn't this a song we sing often) I don't feel like she's fully lived up to her potential on the show. Still, I think she's amazing, and I hope to see more good things from her before the show ends.
* Canary The Office (US) | Jim/Pam | ~3500 words | R-ish
Oh Pam. Pam, Pam, Pam. I haven't watched you this season so far, on the Office, but I love you so. The actress said she got the instruction (regarding the audition) "Dare to bore me" and while I can see that in her performance, she brings so much more to it. In this story, she's still stuck in the rut of passivity, still stuck with her fiance, unable to dare to *want* or go for what she wants. I'm so glad she's grown as the seasons have gone on, and it's been a pleasure to watch her bloom. But as a portrait of where she was then, I'm still fond of this one.
* I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor Doctor Who | Eleven/Rose | ~5000 | NC-17
Eleven (my alternative version that split from canon at the end of S2) POV, but also a portrait of 16 year old Rose. She ended up feeling, to me, like a realistic extrapolation of pre-series Rose. I hate that there's so much bullshit surround liking or not liking Rose - and that no matter where you stand, there's a group of people ready to demonize your preference and throw their own shit at it. Which is sad. She felt very real to me, and even when she was unlikeable, I found her lovable. I've enjoyed the next two companions (Donna more than Martha) but for all that people bitch and moan about Rose's lack of agency (and I can see their point, to a point, in light of her arc as a whole) she wanted fiercely and went after what she wanted time and time again, and for that, she remains my favorite companion (though I remain open, as always, to the next one).
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